Systems and methods for behavior-based characterization of avatars in a computer-generated environment

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for a computer-based process that detects improper behavior of avatars in a computer-generated environment, and marks these avatars accordingly, so that other users may perceive marked avatars as bad actors. Systems of embodiments of the disclosure may monitor avatar speech, text, and actions. If the system detects behavior it deems undesirable, such as behavior against any laws or rules of the environment, abusive or obscene language, and the like, avatars committing or associated with this behavior are marked in some manner that is visually apparent to other users. In this manner, improperly-behaving avatars may be more easily recognized and avoided, thus improving the experience of other users.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed generally tocomputer-generated environments. Embodiments of the disclosure aredirected more specifically to systems and methods for behavior-basedcharacterization of avatars in computer-generated environments.

SUMMARY

Contemporary computing systems have sufficient computing resources andcommunications bandwidth to support services that involve manyindividuals interacting simultaneously within the samecomputer-generated environment. For example, many online games now allowmany different players to simultaneously interact with each other, allwithin the same shared virtual environment (e.g., via network connecteddevices). Multiplayer games such as massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) create persistent worlds in which users, throughavatars or computer-based representations of characters which arecontrolled by their users, interact with each other and with theirenvironment.

Such systems are not without their drawbacks, however. As one example,while many computer-generated environments allow users to communicate orotherwise interact with each other, this generates the possibility ofabuse. Some users may choose to verbally abuse other users, forinstance. Rude or improper actions, such as sabotage or other impropergame play may also occur, even in environments that are moderated orpoliced. In short, many computer-generated environments still remainsusceptible to various undesirable aspects of human nature. In approach,an avatar's poor game performance (e.g., abnormally low rating oranother objective performic metric) may be interpreted as abusive. Inapproach, any avatar performing poorly may be banned or restricted fromplaying the game. However, such approach may be overly broad as someplayers may legitimately be having a bad game without abusive intent.

Accordingly, to overcome the limited ability of computer-basedenvironments to deal with undesirable aspects of human behavior, systemsand methods are described herein for a computer-based process thatdetects improper behavior of avatars or other representations of users,and performs various actions upon these avatars accordingly, to carryout various functions such as preventing avatars from committing furtherbad acts, or marking such avatars so that other users may perceive themas bad actors. Users may then act accordingly, such as by avoidingcontact or interaction with these bad actors.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, a computer system generating ormonitoring a computer-based environment may monitor the behavior ofavatars within the environment. In particular, the system may monitorverbal or text-based speech, as well as actions performed by avatars. Ifthe system detects behavior it deems undesirable, such as behavioragainst any laws or rules of the environment, abusive or obscenelanguage, and the like, avatars committing or associated with thisbehavior may be punished in some manner, such as by being marked in away that is visually apparent to other users.

To accomplish this, computer systems may monitor the behavior of avatarsin a computer-generated environment, generating and storing performancescores and behavior scores for each avatar that are based on their andgame actions and behavior respectively. In some embodiments, theseperformance scores and behavior scores may act as baseline scorescharacterizing their typical behavior. When inappropriate behavior isdetected by particular avatars, systems may monitor those avatars, andgenerate and store updated behavior scores tracking behavior subsequentto the detected inappropriate behavior. When performance changes, theperformance score may be updated. The updated performance scores andbehavior scores may be compared to the baseline scores, and when asufficient negative difference exists between the two, the system maymark or otherwise act upon that particular avatar as being a bad actor.That is, if updated performance scores differ from baseline performancescores in a manner that indicates a significant rise in improperbehavior as compared to an avatar's typical behavior, the system maypunish or mark that avatar as a bad actor.

Inappropriate behavior may be detected in any suitable manner. As oneexample, avatar language, verbal and/or written, may be monitored, suchas via natural language processing (NLP) methods that convert speech totext, as well as by methods and processes that detect abusive orotherwise improper language within text. As another example, avataractions may be monitored to detect inappropriate interactions betweenthat avatar and any other avatars. Inappropriate actions may bedetermined in any suitable manner, and may encompass any actions deemedunsuitable or undesired. For instance, avatars may be monitored forfailure to perform a prescribed role. In this example, a system maydetermine a game character's class or abilities, to determine forinstance that he or she is a class capable of healing or restoring lifeto other characters. Failure to do so when nearby characters are dead,dying, or suffering from loss of health may be considered inappropriatebehavior if, for instance, such failures occur too frequently or occurfor too long a period of time. Additionally, avatars may be monitoredfor other forms of inaction. Here, deliberate inaction may be harmful tothe game play of other characters, e.g., one character taking no actionmay result in a group failing to beat a boss, accomplish a desiredobjective, or the like. As above, game play or behavior scores may becalculated, and if inaction results in a significant drop in score, or adrop that exceeds some predetermined threshold or exceeds apredetermined threshold for longer than a predetermined time period, anavatar may be punished, marked, etc., as a result of his or herinaction. Similarly, avatars may be monitored for change in behavior,with behavior being scored accordingly and significant negative changein behavior resulting in score change and thus marking or otherpunishment.

Punishments may be for a specified time, or may be reversed or undonewhen avatars exhibit good or remedial behavior. For example, avatars maybe muted, demonetized, forbidden from certain areas of thecomputer-generated environment, banned, or the like for a specifiedperiod of time, whereupon these avatars may be fully reinstated andtheir punishment removed. When punishment involves marking, suchmarkings may be removed when, for instance, undesired behavior is haltedor corrected. Thus, for example, when avatar behavior scores returnsufficiently close to baseline values, e.g., when the difference betweencurrent and baseline performance scores falls below some predeterminedthreshold, or falls below such threshold for longer than a predeterminedtime period, avatar markings may be removed. This provides incentive forusers to correct their improper behavior.

Conversely, in some embodiments of the disclosure, punishments such asmarkings may be made permanent if, for example, avatar behavior issufficiently egregious. Thus, for instance, if avatar performance scoresfall from their baseline beyond a predetermined threshold, or fall fromtheir baseline beyond a certain amount more than some predeterminednumber of times, avatars may be permanently banned, or markings maybecome permanent on that avatar, and impossible to remove even aftersubsequent good behavior.

Actions taken on avatars may be of any form. Embodiments of thedisclosure thus encompass any action that may be taken upon an avatar,which may act to punish a user or deter him or her from any futureundesirable behavior. Similarly, avatar markings may take any form. Morespecifically, avatar markings may be any change in any property of anavatar which is perceptible by others. That is, markings may alter anyproperty of an avatar that is visible from within its computer-generatedenvironment. For example, any one or more portions of an avatar may bealtered in color. As another example, any graphical element may beapplied to an avatar, e.g., a text-based sign, label, or the like.Markings may also include other forms of punishment, such as temporaryor permanent bans, removal of the avatar from its computer-generatedenvironment, or the like.

Additional techniques are provided for differentiating between abusivedrops in performance as opposed to a user having a bad game orunder-performing for another legitimate reason. In one approach, asystem may establish a base line performance score (e.g., based oncomputed rating, rate of achieving games goals, etc.) for a certainavatar participating in a multiplayer game. When the system detects aninappropriate behavior event involving the avatar. For example, thesystem may detect a verbal argument (e.g., based on more loud voicecommunication) or use of inappropriate words. After the inappropriatebehavior, the system monitors any changes in the performance score. Ifthe performance score after the inappropriate behavior events decreasesby more than a threshold amount, the system may determine that theperformance score is motivating by the inappropriate behavior event andis thus likely abusive. The system may then take remedial actions (e.g.,marking the avatar, banning the avatar). In this way, the system maypunish abusive performance decreases without punishing users who simplyhave a bad (e.g., the system may not punish avatars for a simpledecrease in performance score that is not associated with aninappropriate behavior event).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates operation of an exemplary system forbehavior-based actions taken upon avatars in a computer-generatedenvironment, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2C conceptually illustrate further details of operation of anexemplary system for behavior-based marking of avatars in acomputer-generated environment, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 2D-2F conceptually illustrate further details of operation ofanother exemplary system for behavior-based marking of avatars in acomputer-generated environment, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an illustrative device in a system forbehavior-based actions taken upon avatars in a computer-generatedenvironment, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative system for behavior-basedactions taken upon avatars in a computer-generated environment, inaccordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of instruction modules stored in the storageof the device of FIG. 3 , in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for behavior-basedactions taken upon avatars in a computer-generated environment, inaccordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram representation of a system for detectinginappropriate or undesired avatar language, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram representation of a system for detectinginappropriate or undesired avatar interactions, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure;

FIGS. 9-11 are diagrams illustrating decision processes for actionstaken on avatars, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 conceptually illustrates breach data stored in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 13 conceptually illustrates breach thresholds and correspondingactions taken on avatars, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to systems and methods for acomputer-based process that detects improper behavior of avatars in acomputer-generated environment, and marks these avatars accordingly, sothat other users may perceive marked avatars as bad actors. Systems ofembodiments of the disclosure may monitor avatar speech, text, andactions. If the system detects behavior it deems undesirable, such asbehavior against any laws or rules of the environment, abusive orobscene language, and the like, avatars committing or associated withthis behavior are marked in some manner that is visually apparent toother users. In this manner, improperly-behaving avatars may be moreeasily recognized and avoided, thus improving the experience of otherusers.

It is noted that embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in anycomputer-generated environment. For example, embodiments of thedisclosure may be employed in connection with avatars, i.e., anycomputer-generated representation of a user, of any at least partiallyvirtual or computer-generated environment, including without limitationany fully virtual environment such as a video game or any othercomputer-based game environment, a virtual meeting, or any othercomputer-implemented platform that allows visual representations ofusers to interact with each other or with the environment of theplatform. Embodiments of the disclosure may also be employed inconnection with any extended reality environment, including any virtualreality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) environment.VR systems immerse users in a fully digital or virtual environment,typically employing a headset or head-mounted display to present userswith a 360-degree view of a completely virtual or simulated environment,sometimes referred to as a virtual world. In contrast, AR systemsoverlay virtual information and objects on a view of the physical world,also typically via a head-mounted display, to enhance the real world.Somewhat related to AR systems, MR or hybrid reality systems overlayvirtual objects on a view of the real world, where users may interactwith these virtual objects in similar manner to physical objects in thereal world, e.g., by “touching” them to open them up, move them, or thelike

FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates operation of an exemplary system forbehavior-based actions taken upon avatars in a computer-generatedenvironment, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Here, acontent display system 100 includes a server 102 or other computer, inelectronic communication with a head-mounted display 104. Server 102generates one or more elements of a virtual environment and transmitsthese elements for display by head-mounted display 104 to the user. Inparticular, head-mounted display 104 projects images to generate agenerally two- or three-dimensional environment 108 for immersing theuser within. In particular, the user's view of environment 108 changesas the user moves his or her head, simulating the physical world. Theenvironment 108 may include portions of the physical world, or may be acompletely virtual environment, depending on whether the system 100 is aVR, MR, or AR system, or a gaming console, laptop computer, personalcomputer or the like that generates a virtual environment on itsdisplay. Each system 100 may also include a speaker 106 in electroniccommunication with its respective server 102 for transmitting soundsuttered by another user. In similar manner, each system 100 may includea microphone (not shown) in electronic communication with server 102 andconfigured for detecting and relaying user sounds to each other user.The microphone and/or speaker 106 may be incorporated into head-mounteddisplay 104, or may alternatively be stand-alone devices positionedwithin audible range of head-mounted display 104.

The environment 108 may include one or more avatars 110, 114, 116, orrepresentations of a user or participant in the environment. Avatars110, 114, 116 may accordingly interact with each other withinenvironment 108, such as by speaking to each other or by performingvarious actions within environment 108. Server 102 may monitor thespeech and actions of each avatar 110, 114, 116 in environment 108. Whenserver 102 detects avatar 110 speech and/or actions that are deemedsufficiently improper or undesirable, it imposes one or more actionsupon avatar 110 to deter or punish such conduct. Any such actions arecontemplated. In the example shown, avatar 110 has committedsufficiently bad acts of some type. Accordingly, server 102 marks avatar110 as being an abusive actor, in a manner visible to other avatars 114,116 within environment 108. Here, server 102 marks avatar 110 bychanging its color, in this case by graying out avatar 110, or makingavatar 110 partially transparent. Server 102 also places text aboveavatar 110, in this case the label “ABUSIVE CHARACTER,” visiblyindicating to other avatars 114, 116 that the avatar 110 has committedimproper or undesirable actions. Avatars 114, 116 may then choosewhether or not to interact with avatar 110, knowing that the avatar 110may be deemed a bad actor. In the example shown, when avatar 110verbally asks whether any other avatars wish to form a group (asprojected over, e.g., speaker 106), avatar 114 declines and walks away.Avatar 116 may decide to interact, e.g., form a group, with avatar 110despite being marked as an abusive character, or may also decide todecline interactions therewith.

FIGS. 2A-2C conceptually illustrate further details of operation of anexemplary system for behavior-based marking of avatars in acomputer-generated environment, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. More specifically, FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a sequence ofevents in which an avatar 200 commits abusive acts, and is therebyvisibly marked. As shown in FIG. 2A, avatar 200 has yet to interact withanother avatar 202, who issues a cordial greeting. Accordingly, eachavatar 200, 202 may have assigned thereto a behavior scorerepresentative of his or her past behavior. That is, server 102 maymonitor the behavior of avatars 200, 202, and regularly assign scoresthereto according to their behavior, such that behavior scoreseffectively reflect a running indication of the behavior of avatars 200,202 within environment 108. Behavior scores may then be used todetermine improper or undesired behavior, upon which server 102 can actaccordingly. As an example, in FIG. 2A, avatars 200 and 202 have beenassigned behavior scores of 3.2 and 3.7 respectively, reflecting theirrecent past behavior. Scores may be of any numerical value within anynumerical range, and may be calculated in any manner to account for anybehavior as desired. In the example shown, behavior scores may be withina range of 1.0-5.0, with lower scores reflecting worse detectedbehavior. In the example shown, avatar 200 (behavior score 3.2) hashistorically behaved slightly worse than avatar 202 (behavior score3.7), although both have behaved within the range of what may beconsidered average or acceptable behavior. In this example, behaviorscores may be calculated as, e.g., a number of beneficial tasksperformed per unit of time, normalized to a 1.0-5.0 scale. For instance,its behavior score may be based on the amount of improper language used,the number of items or amount of currency given to other avatars perunit time, or the like, normalized to a 1.0-5.0 scale.

In FIG. 2B though, avatar 200 may direct unprovoked profane or insultinglanguage at avatar 202 as shown, to which avatar 202 reacts negativelybut not insultingly. Accordingly, server 102 detects the offensive orinappropriate language of avatar 200, and reduces its behavior score to1.8 (e.g., each detected instance of offensive or inappropriate languagemay reduce behavior score by some predetermined amount, or the like).Server 102 does not detect any offensive or inappropriate language fromavatar 202, and thus leaves its behavior score unchanged at 3.7.

In FIG. 2C, avatar 200 continues its abusive behavior, continuing todirect verbal insults at avatar 202, while avatar 202 does not engage inany offensive or inappropriate actions in return, electing simply towalk away. Server 102 detects these actions and accordingly continues toreduce the behavior score of avatar 200 to 1.3, while the behavior scoreof avatar 202 remains unchanged at 3.7. In some embodiments of thedisclosure, other values may be assigned to the actions of avatars,and/or avatar 202 may be rewarded for his refusal to engage negatively,perhaps with an increased behavior score.

As the behavior score of avatar 200 has fallen to 1.3 (e.g., above athreshold difference from historical score 3.2 and thus indicatingexcessive inappropriate or undesired behavior, where this thresholdvalue may be any suitable value), server 102 performs an action uponavatar 200, to punish avatar 200 and/or reduce any risk to otheravatars. In this example, server 102 marks avatar 200 as an abusivecharacter by changing its color, and applying a text-based “ABUSIVECHARACTER” banner 204 above avatar 200. Other avatars such as avatar 202may then visually recognize that avatar 200 has exhibited excessiveundesirable behavior recently, and may choose to avoid interacting withavatar 200, thus improving their experience within environment 108. Asfurther described below, server 102 may continue to monitor the behaviorof avatars 200, 202, and in some embodiments may remove the markings onavatar 200 upon sufficient subsequent good behavior. Conversely, ifavatar 200 exhibits further improper or undesired behavior, server 102may enact further actions, such as making the color change and banner204 permanent, banning avatar 200 or otherwise removing it fromenvironment 108, or the like.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate marking when abusive behavior is detected.However, embodiments of the disclosure contemplate marking in anysituation that may be deemed warranted. For example, in someembodiments, marking may occur upon an undesired drop in performance,such as an undesired drop in performance, sabotage, or other undesirablebehavior that occurs after an event like a dispute. That is, embodimentsof the disclosure may wish to mark avatars as abusive if they reducetheir performance after a dispute. This may be indicative of, forinstance, a player that performs undesired actions on, or allowsundesired actions to occur on, another character after he or she has adispute with that character. FIGS. 2D-2F conceptually illustrate furtherdetails of operation of another exemplary system for behavior-basedmarking of avatars in a computer-generated environment, in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosure. In FIG. 2D, avatar 200 begins with ahistoric performance score of 3.2, which may be based on avatar 200performance within environment 108, such as how well avatar 200 performsits designated role. As an example, when environment 108 is anaction-oriented game and avatar 200 belongs to a fighting class, theperformance score of avatar 200 may be calculated at least in partaccording to the number of battles avatar 200 engages in per unit oftime, with a greater average number of battles leading to a higherscore. As another example, when avatar 200 belongs to a healing class,performance scores may be calculated according to the number of healsperformed on other avatars, per unit of time. Performance scores may becalculated in any suitable manner, to measure any desired behavior(s) ofan avatar over time. As shown in FIG. 2D, avatar 200 may battle ahostile element 206 of environment 108, such as to maintain his or herperformance score, to protect another avatar 202, or simply because thatis the desired behavior for avatars of that particular class.Accordingly, battling hostile element 206 may maintain or increase theperformance score of avatar 200, such as by numerically increasing theaverage battles per hour, or the like.

In FIG. 2E, avatar 200 then engages in improper or undesired behavior bygetting into a dispute with avatar 202, where disputes may be detectedas below, via detected language, audio volume, speech (words indicativeof conflict), or the like. While the performance score of avatar 200does not change during the dispute (unless the dispute lasts so longthat it begins to reduce the average battles per unit time of avatar200, etc.), remaining at 3.2, the dispute may be detected by server 102,such as by methods and processes for detecting undesired or improperbehavior as further described below.

In FIG. 2F, after the dispute of FIG. 2E is detected, avatar 200 mayrefuse to perform its expected roles in protest over the dispute. Asshown, avatar 200 may refuse to battle hostile element 208 as he or sheordinarily would, instead allowing hostile element 208 to attack avatar202. This dereliction of its duties may reduce the performance score ofavatar 200 to, e.g., 1.3, as avatar 200 is no longer battling hostileelements as he or she is expected to. Accordingly, server 102 detects adrop in performance score after a detected dispute, a behavior patternwhich is determined to be improper or undesired. Server 102 thus marksavatar 200 as an abusive character by changing its color, and applying atext-based “ABUSIVE CHARACTER” banner 204 above avatar 200. Avatar 202,if he or she survives, may thus avoid avatar 200 in the future. Server102 may mark and unmark in any manner, at any interval, as suitable. Forexample, server 102 may allow a grace period before marking. That is,server 102 may allot a certain amount of time after a performance scorethreshold is breached before marking, to allow the breaching avatar toremedy its performance, allow for correction of simple errors, or thelike. Similarly, server 102 may alter the performance score threshold,or amount of time after a performance score threshold is breached beforemarking, for either one or both parties to a dispute, to allow for acooling off period and give each avatar a chance to recover.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative block diagram of a device 300 in anextended reality system, according to some embodiments of thedisclosure. Device 300 in an extended reality system may include one ormore servers (e.g., server 102 of FIG. 1 ) for generating, displaying,and/or managing an extended reality environment, including monitoringbehavior of and performing resulting actions on avatars, which istransmitted over a computer network to end-user multi-perspectivedevices (e.g., devices 104 of FIGS. 1 and 2A-C). Control circuitry 304may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such as processingcircuitry 306. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should beunderstood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) orsupercomputer.

In some embodiments, processing circuitry 306 may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multipleof the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). A network interface 320 maybe used to communicate with other devices in a network system (e.g.,between devices 104 and across internet 410 of FIG. 4 ).

In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 executes instructions forexecution of extended reality content generation and/or processingfunctions stored in memory (i.e., storage 308). The instructions may bestored in either a non-volatile memory 314 and/or a volatile memory 312and loaded into processing circuitry 306 at the time of execution. Asystem for generating and processing extended reality content (e.g., thesystems described in reference to FIGS. 1-2C) may be a stand-aloneapplication implemented on a user device (e.g., end-user device 104)and/or a server (e.g., server 102) or distributed across multipledevices in accordance with device 300. The system may be implemented assoftware or a set of executable instructions. The instructions forperforming any of the embodiments discussed herein of extended realityprocessing may be encoded on non-transitory computer-readable media(e.g., a hard drive, random-access memory on a DRAM integrated circuit,read-only memory on a BLU-RAY disk, etc.) or transitorycomputer-readable media (e.g., propagating signals carrying data and/orinstructions). For example, instructions in accordance with theprocesses described herein may be stored in storage 308, and executed bycontrol circuitry 304 of device 300.

Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be included.Control circuitry 304 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting content into the preferred output format of theend-user devices 104. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used to receive and to display, to play, or to recordcontent. The tuning and encoding circuitry may also be used to receiveguidance data. The circuitry described herein, including for example,the tuning, video generating, encoding, decoding, encrypting,decrypting, scaler, and analog/digital circuitry, may be implementedusing software running on one or more general purpose or specializedprocessors. Multiple tuners may be provided to handle simultaneoustuning functions (e.g., watch and record functions, functions forincorporating video or other recordings of physical environments,multiple-tuner recording, etc.). If storage 308 is provided as aseparate device from device 300, the tuning and encoding circuitry(including multiple tuners) may be associated with storage 308. Device300 may be a central device in communication with each device 104.Alternatively, device 300 may correspond to device 104, that is, eachsystem 100 may not have its own device 104, but rather a single centraldevice 300 may carry out extended reality environment generation andaudio conflict resolution processes for every system 100.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative block diagram of an extended realitycontent system according to some embodiments of the disclosure. At leastone extended reality content server 400 generates extended realitycontent, such as that described herein. Extended reality content server400 transmits the content over internet 410 to multiple end-user devicesincluding devices 420, 425, 430. End-user extended reality devices mayinclude, for example, personal computers, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones), and/or wearable devices including extended reality headsets,goggles, suits, gloves, etc., configured to present and allowinteraction with extended reality environments. These devices areconfigured to allow an operator/user to view and interact withmulti-user extended reality content. These devices may provide, forexample, visual, audio, and haptic feedback that present theperspectives and attention-directing cues such as described herein.End-user devices 420, 425, 430 also transmit data to server 400 viainternet 410, where such data includes orientation informationindicating the direction the devices 420, 425, 430 are facing (and thusthe view that server 400 must generate for display on each device 420,425, 430), audio signals detected by each device 420, 425, 430, and userinput such as selections of extended reality objects. Server 400 thengenerates a view of the extended reality environment for each device420, 425, 430.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of instruction modules stored in the storageof the device of FIG. 3 , in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. The instructions stored in storage 308 may include anynumber of instruction or code modules for executing processes ofembodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the instructionmodules include an environment generation module 500 for generating theextended reality environment transmitted to and displayed by each device420, 425, 430, as well as a behavior detection module 502 fordetermining behavior of avatars and generating corresponding behaviorscores. The instruction modules also include a speech to text module 504for transcribing audio signals from users of the environment, as well asa marking and unmarking module 506 for marking and unmarking avatarsand/or imposing other actions thereupon.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for behavior-basedactions taken upon avatars in a computer-generated environment, inaccordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, theprocess begins with server 102 monitoring the behavior of avatars withintheir computer-generated environment (Step 600). In particular, theserver 102 may monitor both the speech and actions and gameplay of eachavatar. As further described below, server 102 may for exampletranscribe the speech of each avatar, e.g., the speech uttered by eachuser of an avatar, and detect offensive or inappropriate words orphrases. In addition, server 102 may monitor the actions of each avatarto detect offensive or inappropriate actions, and/or actions that areexpected to be carried out, or lack thereof.

Server 102 generates a performance score which is based at least in parton the monitoring of Step 600 (Step 602). In some embodiments of thedisclosure, behavior detection module 502 and speech to text module 504monitor avatar performance, to detect behaviors that contribute toavatar performance scores such as battles, heals, or other actionsexpected to be taken. In some embodiments, speech may be monitored andscored as described further below in connection with FIG. 7 , whileavatar behavior or actions may be monitored and scored as describedfurther below in connection with FIG. 8 . In some embodiments of thedisclosure, speech may be monitored by transcription to text, which thenmay be parsed to detect offensive or inappropriate words or phrases. Insome embodiments of the disclosure, behavior may be monitored bytracking of avatar actions, such as battles, heals, or the like. Anysuitable tracking of any actions of any one or more avatars iscontemplated.

Further, performance scores may be based on any actions, and calculatedin any desired manner. As one example, frequency of expected actionscarried out may be reflected in performance score as above, such as thenumber of battles carried out per unit of time, or the like. As anotherexample, some actions may be deemed as foul play, and may thuscontribute to lowered behavior scores. Foul play may take on any numberof forms. One form may be failing to perform a prescribed role. Here,avatars may be designated for performance of certain roles, and failureto perform these roles may be detected and result in score reduction.For example, a user may be selected or designated to give a presentationor submit content. Behavior detection module 502 may detect that theuser or his or her avatar, account, or representation is designated toperform an action or submit content, such as by detection of a flag orfield in the user's account or profile which may be set by, e.g., ameeting or call leader or moderator. Thus, behavior detection module 502may detect the flag or field value, and detect that no content has beensubmitted, the speaker has not spoken a sufficient volume of words, orthe like, by the deadline, and reduce the speaker's behavior scoreaccordingly. Similarly, an avatar in a computer-generated environmentsuch as a game environment may be designated as belonging to aparticular class, such as a healing class whose primary role is healingother players or avatars. For instance, the avatar has its behaviorscore reduced if it fails to perform its healing function when it isexpected to. For example, behavior detection module 502 may detect thata healing avatar is in a group and the group is engaged in a conflict,such as by whether one or more group members is damaged or injured, oneor more non player characters is attacking any group member, or thelike. In this case, behavior detection module 502 may monitor the numberof heals performed by the avatar while the group is engaged in aconflict, and reduce the avatar's behavior score when the number ofheals performed is insufficient. Score reduction may be performed in anymanner, e.g., behavior detection module 502 may reduce the avatar'sscore when the number of heals per unit of time falls below apredetermined threshold, another group member's health falls below apredetermined amount for greater than some predetermined amount of timeor for more than a predetermined number of times, other group membersare not resurrected or revived for greater than some number of times,another group member who is designated as a main attacker or the likefalls too low in health or dies too often, other group members die toooften, or the like. Conversely, behavior detection module 502 mayincrease a healing avatar's score if it performs its healing functionwell, e.g., keeps the health of other group members above somethreshold, the group experiences few deaths while engaged in conflict,or the like.

Another form of foul play may be deliberate inaction or lack of play. Insome embodiments of the disclosure, behavior detection module 502 maymonitor avatars for lack of participation. For example, behaviordetection module 502 may determine that a participant in a call,meeting, or other interactive group has not spoken enough, has his orher camera off for too long, has not logged in or joined the call ormeeting, or the like, and reduce his or her score accordingly.Similarly, in the game context, behavior detection module 502 maymonitor avatars for lack of participation in a group or lack ofinteractions. As one example, behavior detection module 502 may monitorthe environment for network speed and any downtime, as well as avataridle time (e.g., time when an avatar is still and inactive, lack ofkeystrokes or other input, or the like). When the network is up andrunning, yet the avatar is idle for greater than some predeterminedamount of time, the avatar may be deemed to be failing to play orparticipate when it is supposed to, and its behavior score may bereduced. Similarly, behavior detection module 502 may determine theamount of time when an avatar cannot play or participate, e.g., the sumof network downtime and avatar-designated away from keyboard (AFK) time,and a significant difference between an avatar's idle time and theamount of time when an avatar cannot play or participate may indicateexcessive failure to play or participate, with corresponding behaviorscore reduction imposed.

A further form of foul play may be drop in performance or refusal toparticipate after an altercation or other form of conflict. For example,after an argument with another player, an avatar may alter its game playin a negative manner, such as by attempting to attack that player, nothealing that player, or the like. More specifically, behavior detectionmodule 502 may detect an altercation or dispute between players in anymanner, such as by detecting certain words or phrases within theirspoken words, detecting raised volume levels, machine learning-basedmethods of detecting events such as arguments or the emotional state ofparticipants, or in any other suitable manner. Once an altercation ordispute is detected, the game play of altercation participants ismonitored such as via a performance score as above, and significantdifferences in performance score after the detected dispute may indicatefoul play. For example, if one altercation participant is a healingclass, previously healed the other altercation participant regularlyprior to the altercation, and fails to heal the altercation participantafter the altercation, the behavior or performance score of that avatarmay be reduced. As another example, average or historic behavior, suchas the average rate at which beneficial effects are projected onto otherplayers is determined, and a significant reduction in beneficial effectsdirected at the altercation participant as compared to the historicaverage may be deemed foul play. Any change or drop in performance maybe monitored for, and deemed foul play when detected.

A further form of foul play may be a change or reduction in environmentinput patterns. For example, an avatar may commonly enter particularkeyboard or mouse input patterns in a game environment, such asrepeatedly performing certain beneficial tasks, and behavior detectionmodule 502 may determine a historical pattern or rate at which a userenters these input patterns, achieves certain objectives, or the like.For example, a significant reduction in the number of times an avatargathers some beneficial resource for a group, attacks aggressors,performs some beneficial function in a group setting, or the like may bedeemed foul play.

In some embodiments, behavior-based determinations of foul play may bedetermined according to a comparison to predetermined threshold values.In some other embodiments, behavior-based determinations of foul playmay be determined according to a comparison to historic or prior averagebehaviors. That is, behavior detection module 502 may determine thehistoric average rate or value at which an avatar performs certainactions, with a behavior score reduction based on deviation from thisaverage. Accordingly, behavior detection module 502 may continuously logoccurrences of any action or event, calculate running or any otheraverages of such occurrences, and store these average values such as instorage 308, for comparison to other actions or events detected insubstantial real time.

In the above manner, behavior detection module 502 may constantlymonitor the speech and actions of avatars for anything it may deem to beinappropriate behavior (Step 604). In some embodiments, behaviordetection module 502 may monitor for disputes, conflicts, or the like.If no inappropriate behavior is detected, the process may return to Step600, where module 502 continues to monitor avatar behavior. On the otherhand, when module 502 determines that inappropriate or undesirablebehavior has occurred, module 502 may log the inappropriate behavior andcontinue to monitor the behavior of that avatar in thecomputer-generated environment (Step 606), generating new behavior orperformance scores based on post-inappropriate behavior performance(Step 608). That is, performance scores capturing actions prior todetected inappropriate behavior, e.g., historically generated scores orsimply scores generated prior to the inappropriate behavior, aregenerated along with performance scores capturing actions after theinappropriate behavior. Behavior detection module 502 may then determinewhether to perform an action upon avatars, based on a comparison of thepre-inappropriate behavior scores to the post-inappropriate behaviorscores (Step 610). Scores may be determined according to avatar actionsand/or speech, as above. In this manner, metrics characterizing avatarbehavior, both recent and average over time, may be continuouslydetermined. Significant deviation from historic averages of any one ormore desired metrics may then be indicative of inappropriate orundesired behavior that may be acted upon.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram representation of a system for detectinginappropriate or undesired avatar language, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure. As described above, systems ofembodiments of the disclosure may monitor avatar speech for offensive orotherwise undesired speech, and behavior scores may be modifiedaccordingly. More specifically, speech to text module 504 may include anNLP module 700 and an improper language detection module 702. The NLPmodule 700 receives audio signals from, or associated with, environmentparticipants such as avatars, and transcribes speech from the audiosignals to text. Such NLP modules are known and may operate to convertspeech from audio signals to text in any manner, such as by one or moremachine learning models trained to recognize spoken words and generatecorresponding text as output. The output text is transmitted to improperlanguage detection module 702, which determines whether the text outputfrom NLP module 700 represents words or phrases that are deemed improperand thus should affect a behavior score. Any words or phrases may bedeemed improper, as desired in various embodiments of the disclosure.

Improper language detection module 702 may detect improper language inany manner. In some embodiments of the disclosure, module 702 may storea list or other set of words or phrases deemed improper, and comparetext output from NLP module 700 to this stored list. When text outputfrom NLP module 700 matches any words or phrases of this list, module702 may transmit a signal to, e.g., marking and unmarking module 506 oranother module of server 102, indicating that an improper word or phrasewas detected, along with other information that may be desired, such asthe identity of the speaker, a date/time stamp at which the improperword or phrase was detected, or the like. Marking and unmarking module506 or another module of server 102 may then adjust behavior scores ofthe speaker accordingly. Improper language may also be detected in anyother manner, such as by machine learning-based methods of detectingevents such as arguments or the emotional state of participants coupledwith detection of certain altercation-related words, raised volumelevels, or any other inputs that may be indicative of conflicts.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram representation of a system for detectinginappropriate or undesired avatar interactions, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure. As described above, systems ofembodiments of the disclosure may monitor avatar speech for offensive orotherwise undesired actions, and behavior scores may be modifiedaccordingly. More specifically, behavior monitor 800 may monitor thebehavior of participants in its computer-generated environment bydetermining and logging participant actions as they occur. Actions maybe determined in any manner. As one example, meeting participant actionsmay be monitored for actions such as when and for how long participantsspeak, documents that are uploaded, text that is entered, or the like.As another example, game participants may be monitored for any actions,such as attacking, using a weapon, inflicting damage, casting a spell orusing an ability, making any particular gesture, or the like, as well aslocation within the computer-generated environment, and avatar statessuch as running, jumping, and the like. Determined actions may then besubmitted to inappropriate interaction detection module 802, which maydetermine whether any of the detected actions constitutes any of theabove described or other improper or undesired behaviors. Morespecifically, module 802 may compare the determined actions to a storedset of predefined actions or action patterns such as those describedabove, to determine matches. When a match is detected between avataractions and any stored actions or action patterns, module 802 maytransmit a signal to, e.g., marking and unmarking module 506 or anothermodule of server 102, indicating that an improper action was detected,along with other information that may be desired, such as the identityof the actor, a date/time stamp at which the improper action wasdetected, or the like. Marking and unmarking module 506 or anothermodule of server 102 may then adjust behavior scores of the speakeraccordingly.

As above, actions may be taken against avatars or other participantswhen their performance scores fall below some threshold amount, ordiffer significantly from their historic averages. Embodiments of thedisclosure contemplate any actions taken, such as marking of an avatarin any way, e.g., changing any aspect of its appearance, application ofa sign or other text warning to other participants, and the like. Otheractions besides markings are contemplated, such as demonetization,removal of the avatar from its group, banning, suspension, forcedlogging off for some time, reduction in abilities or attributes, removalof items, or the like.

Server 102 may perform remedial actions such as reversing or removingsome actions taken against avatars, based on subsequent avatar behavior.That is, avatars that are marked for inappropriate behavior may havetheir markings removed if they behave appropriately for at least someamount of time. conversely, avatars that do not correct their behavior,or continue to behave inappropriately, may remain marked.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which an avatar corrects its behaviorbut then commits subsequent inappropriate behavior, thus remainingmarked. In some embodiments of the disclosure, behavior scores may becompared to a threshold score value, and marking or other action may betaken after a certain number of breaches, or instances in which anavatar's foul play rises above the threshold. Marking may be removed if,for example, behavior score subsequently falls below the threshold forgreater than some amount of time. However, if the behavior score onceagain rises above the threshold within this amount of time, marking isnot removed. As shown in FIG. 9 , an avatar's behavior score 902indicates the amount of foul play committed, with higher valuesindicating worse or greater foul play. This behavior score 902 may becompared to a threshold value 900 over time. When the score 902 risesabove threshold value 900 for greater than some specified period oftime, as shown in the left of the upper graph of FIG. 9 , the avatar maybe marked as being, e.g., an abusive character. This marking may beremoved upon subsequent good behavior. Indeed, after marking, theavatar's score 902 falls below the threshold 900. However, the score 902soon rises above threshold 900 once again, as shown in the center rightof the upper graph of FIG. 9 . That is, once a breach occurs, server 102may then monitor to determine whether this breach is persistent, i.e.,occurs repeatedly or continuously, with persistent breach indicatingcontinued marking. Here, as breach occurs again within a relativelyshort period of time, the avatar is considered to be in persistentbreach, and its marking is maintained. The period of time used todetermine persistent breach may be a fixed or predetermined time period,or may vary depending on any factors. In the example shown, thepersistent breach time period may be determined according to factorssuch as past breach history or weighting of behaviors (with, forexample, very good subsequent behavior reducing the persistent breachtime period, etc.), as shown.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which an avatar fails to correct itsbehavior, thus remaining marked or otherwise punished. Here, behaviorscore 1002 rises above threshold value 1000, never falling below thethreshold 1000 for long, as shown in the upper graph of FIG. 10 . Thatis, in some embodiments of the disclosure, greater than a predeterminednumber of breaches within a specified time period may result in marking.While behavior improves for a short while, repeated breaches once againoccur soon thereafter, as shown in the right most portion of the uppergraph of FIG. 10 . Marking is thus maintained. That is, in someembodiments of the disclosure, greater than a predetermined number ofbreaches within the period of time used to determine persistent breachmay result in marking being maintained. As above, the period of timeused to determine persistent breach may be a fixed or predetermined timeperiod, or may vary depending on any factors. In the example shown, thepersistent breach time period may be determined according to factorssuch as past breach history or weighting of behaviors.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which an avatar corrects its behaviorand remains within the threshold limit for greater than the period oftime used to determine persistent breach. In this example, markings areremoved from the avatar. Here, behavior score 1102 rises above thethreshold value 1100 at the left side of the upper graph of FIG. 11 ,resulting in marking. The behavior score 1102 then falls back belowthreshold 1100 and subsequently approaches but does not exceed threshold1100 again. Breach is thus considered not persistent, and marking isremoved.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, breach data may be stored for usein determining historic or average behavior scores, or the like. Breachdata may be stored, for example, in storage 308, or any other suitablememory. In addition to determination of average or historic scores,breach data may be stored for any other purpose, such as use indetermining persistent breach, actions taken, and the like. As anexample, stored breach data may include the actions that led to breach,their number and frequency, behavior score values, etc., any of whichmay be later retrieved to serve as a factor in determining actions takenon avatars. For instance, once an avatar has committed a breach, markingand unmarking module 506 may retrieve that avatar's stored breach datafrom storage 308, to determine whether and/or how many past breacheshave occurred, when they have occurred, and the like. When the latestbreach is one of many past breaches the avatar has committed, server 102may take more severe action, such as suspending or banning the avatar'saccount, demonetizing the avatar's account, or the like. On the otherhand, if the latest breach is the first ever for that avatar, or is thefirst committed in a significant amount of time, server 102 may takeless severe action, such as a text- or voice-based warning issued to theavatar, marking for a short period of time, or the like.

FIG. 12 illustrates exemplary breach data that may be stored inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Any breach data maybe stored at any time or frequency, for any avatar or user of acomputer-generated environment. In the example shown, when a breachoccurs, the type of action that led to the breach may be stored (e.g.,<inaction, non-play>), along with other parameters such as anidentification of the avatar or account ProfileID, a level which may bea severity level (determined in any suitable manner, according to anycriteria) or an indicator of the number, extent, or severity ofbreaches, the threshold that was breached, and/or any other informationdesired. This breach data may be subsequently retrieved as desired.

In embodiments involving marking as one of the actions taken on avatars,it is noted that decisions whether and how to mark may be performed inany desired manner. FIG. 13 illustrates one example, in which multiplethresholds exist, and monitoring and marking proceeds in stages orphases according to which threshold is breached if any. In the exampleof FIG. 13 , phase 1 and phase 2 may be triggered as behavior scoresapproach the first threshold (e.g., phase 1 may be triggered whenbehavior score reaches 50% of the first threshold, and phase 2 may betriggered at 75%, where any percentage values are contemplated). Phases1 and 2 may trigger more frequent monitoring, or any other contemplatedaction. For instance, once behavior score reaches phase 1, an avatar maybe monitored or have its actions determined and logged more often, e.g.,once a minute, as compared to a default monitoring state of once every 5minutes. Similarly, once behavior scores reach phase 2, avatars may bemonitored or have their actions determined and logged every 30 seconds.

When behavior scores reach the first threshold, marking and unmarkingmodule 506 may impose a first image change or visible marking on thebreaching avatar, such as a change in color, change in shape, anotherimposed visual effect such as an aura, or any other desired visualeffect. Shape changes may be any changes, such as addition of an item oreffect to an avatar (e.g., added horns, clothing, etc.), or a change inavatar shape, such as increasing an avatar's girth or height so that itmay have difficulty passing through narrow or low corridors.

When behavior scores reach the second threshold, marking and unmarkingmodule 506 may impose a second image change on the breaching avatar,which may be a more severe form of the first image changes imposed. Forexample, module 506 may color the breaching avatar a darker color thanthat imposed at the first image change, add additional features such ashorns or the like, further grow or shrink the avatar, add an additionalsign or banner, or any other desired action. A subsequent breach of thethird threshold may result in censoring of the avatar, e.g., muting,suspension, banning, or the like. Once any of these thresholds isreached, the avatar may be monitored for a predetermined duration, andif its play returns to acceptable game play, marking and unmarkingmodule 506 may impose a remedial action on the avatar, such as removingany imposed avatar markings, allowing the avatar to resume game play, orthe like.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required to practice the methods and systems of thedisclosure. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments ofthe present invention are presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. For example,behavior scores may be determined in any manner, according to anydetected behavior. Any actions may be performed on avatars, according toany one or more thresholds or other criteria. The embodiments werechosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theinvention and its practical applications, to thereby enable othersskilled in the art to best utilize the methods and systems of thedisclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. Additionally, differentfeatures of the various embodiments, disclosed or otherwise, can bemixed and matched or otherwise combined so as to create furtherembodiments contemplated by the disclosure.

1. A method comprising: monitoring, using control circuitry, avatarbehavior in a computer-generated environment; generating a firstperformance score based at least in part on the monitored avatarbehavior; detecting inappropriate behavior corresponding to the avatar;monitoring the behavior of the avatar in the computer-generatedenvironment after the detected inappropriate behavior; generating asecond performance score based at least in part on the monitoredbehavior of the avatar in the computer-generated environment after thedetected inappropriate behavior; and initiating an action performed onthe avatar in the computer-generated environment, the initiating beingbased at least in part on a comparison of the first performance score tothe second performance score.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetecting inappropriate behavior further comprises one or more ofdetecting abusive language from an audio signal corresponding to theavatar, or detecting inappropriate interactions between the avatar andone or more other avatars of the computer-generated environment.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the detecting inappropriate interactionsfurther comprises detecting one or more of a failure of the avatar toperform a prescribed role, an inaction of the avatar, an inappropriategesture, or a change in behavior of the avatar.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the initiating further comprises initiating the action in thecomputer-generated environment when a difference between the firstperformance score and the second performance score exceeds apredetermined threshold.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein theinitiating further comprises initiating the action in thecomputer-generated environment when the difference between the firstperformance score and the second performance score exceeds thepredetermined threshold for longer than a predetermined amount of time.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring the behavior ofthe avatar in the computer-generated environment after the generating ofthe second performance score; generating a third performance score basedat least in part on the monitored behavior of the avatar in thecomputer-generated environment after the generating of the secondperformance score; and initiating a remedial action on the avatar when adifference between the first performance score and the third performancescore falls below a predetermined threshold.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising initiating a remedial action on the avatar when thedifference between the first performance score and the secondperformance score falls below a predetermined threshold for longer thana predetermined amount of time.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theinitiating the action comprises one or more of initiating an altering ofa visible property of the avatar in the computer-generated environment,initiating an applying of a graphical element to the avatar, orinitiating a removing of the avatar from the computer-generatedenvironment.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating the actionfurther comprises initiating a permanent marking of the avatar when adifference between the first performance score and the secondperformance score exceeds a predetermined threshold at least apredetermined number of times.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising storing the first performance score and the secondperformance score in a memory.
 11. A system comprising: a storagedevice; and control circuitry configured to: monitor avatar behavior ina computer-generated environment; generate a first performance scorebased at least in part on the monitored avatar behavior; detectinappropriate behavior corresponding to the avatar; monitor the behaviorof the avatar in the computer-generated environment after the detectedinappropriate behavior; generate a second performance score based atleast in part on the monitored behavior of the avatar in thecomputer-generated environment after the detected inappropriatebehavior; and initiate an action performed on the avatar in thecomputer-generated environment, the initiating being based at least inpart on a comparison of the first performance score to the secondperformance score.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the detectinginappropriate behavior further comprises one or more of detectingabusive language from an audio signal corresponding to the avatar, ordetecting inappropriate interactions between the avatar and one or moreother avatars of the computer-generated environment.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the detecting inappropriate interactions furthercomprises detecting one or more of a failure of the avatar to perform aprescribed role, an inaction of the avatar, an inappropriate gesture, ora change in behavior of the avatar.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe initiating further comprises initiating the action in thecomputer-generated environment when a difference between the firstperformance score and the second performance score exceeds apredetermined threshold.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein theinitiating further comprises initiating the action in thecomputer-generated environment when the difference between the firstperformance score and the second performance score exceeds thepredetermined threshold for longer than a predetermined amount of time.16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to: monitor the behavior of the avatar in thecomputer-generated environment after the generating of the secondperformance score; generate a third performance score based at least inpart on the monitored behavior of the avatar in the computer-generatedenvironment after the generating of the second performance score; andinitiate a remedial action on the avatar when a difference between thefirst performance score and the third performance score falls below apredetermined threshold.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the controlcircuitry is further configured to initiate a remedial action on theavatar when the difference between the first performance score and thesecond performance score falls below a predetermined threshold forlonger than a predetermined amount of time.
 18. The system of claim 11,wherein the initiating the action comprises one or more of initiating analtering of a visible property of the avatar in the computer-generatedenvironment, initiating an applying of a graphical element to theavatar, or initiating a removing of the avatar from thecomputer-generated environment.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein theinitiating the action further comprises initiating a permanent markingof the avatar when a difference between the first performance score andthe second performance score exceeds a predetermined threshold at leasta predetermined number of times.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to store the first performancescore and the second performance score in a memory. 21-30. (canceled)